The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of 4,4-disubstituted cyclohexadienones of which at least one of the 4-substituents is fluorine, and to the 4,4-disubstituted cyclohexadienones thus prepared.
A process for the preparation of an unsubstituted 4,4-difluorocyclohexadienone is known from I. Ya. Aliev, I. N. Rozhkov and I. L. Knunyants, Izu. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Khim, 6 (June 1973) 1430. It describes the anodic oxidations of p-fluoroanisole and p-fluorophenetole on Pt in a solution of (C.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.4 NF.3HF in CH.sub.3 CN. The starting materials are already fluorinated, so the scope of the reaction is limited to production of 4,4-difluorocyclohexadienone. Furthermore, electrochemical synthesis are not always very practical on an industrial scale.